The best way to get cheap coffee at Manic, I Deal, Crema and more

Lattes taste sweeter when they're free and with a cookie (Image: Georgette via the Toronto Life Flickr pool)

While the reasons to avoid corporate coffee shops are abundantly clear to any aficionado, there is now a new enticement to explore Toronto’s coffee scene: the Indie Coffee Passport. For $20, the passport allows the bearer to indulge in one free coffee or tea (up to $5 on the menu) at 24 indie coffee shops throughout the city. For the mathematically disinclined, that’s $120 worth of coffee or tea for $20, plus a little legwork to traverse the city. The passport can be purchased on-line here or at some of the participating coffee shops. While some big names are conspicuously absent from the list (Sam James, Dark Horse and Lit, to name a few), the choices should allow for some interesting experimentation. Participating locations, after the jump.